


Finally A Wedding

by lover_of_blue_roses



Series: Jimercury Week 2020&21 [9]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Marrying in the 80s (not legally binding), Marrying in the garden of Garden Lodge, Not-so-traditional wedding, Same-Sex Marriage, Wedding, Wedding Fluff, lots of love, not historical compliant, sappy vows, slight internalized homophobia crushed by the power of love, struggling with traditional family crushed by found family love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29126253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lover_of_blue_roses/pseuds/lover_of_blue_roses
Summary: Freddie and Jim marry in a backyard garden of their Garden Lodge where they declare their love and vow their pledged commitment.
Relationships: Jim Hutton/Freddie Mercury
Series: Jimercury Week 2020&21 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1622485
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19
Collections: JimercuryWeek2021





	Finally A Wedding

**Author's Note:**

> my headcannon of the reason freddie calls him husband is because they hosted a wedding, this is that wedding  
> prompt: Not-so-traditional wedding

The garden looks beautiful, not that it doesn't look beautiful every day truly a labour of Jim's love. 'A labour of Jim's love,' the very idea makes Freddie's toes curl. That is what today is all about. He tugs at his cummerbund knowing that everything is just right but still nervous all the same. He- He never thought he would be married, and in a certain sense, he still wouldn't be. This marriage won't be recognized by his society nor his family's faith. But it will mean something to him, and to their relationship all the same. And of course, a wedding is always a great reason to throw an extravagant party, and who would he be to turn that down.

It will, in nearly every way but legal, be a real marriage. Hence his fancy white morning suit he is in. He hasn't seen his husband yet but they had discussed that he too would be wearing white, only in the style of a tailcoat instead. Jim will look beautiful, Freddie has no doubt, his husband-to-be always does.

There's only one thing about Freddie's own appearance that gives him pause, as he's fretted about all day. While he knows what society at large has to say about men with makeup, it's not his lovely eyeliner that he's wearing that cause him this stress. No, he's worn eyeliners for nearing on two decades now and he always looks so striking with it; the dark kohl bringing out his otherwise dull brown eyes. 

It's- Freddie sits back down in front of his vanity and touches the package he opened this morning. He's saving the rest of his presents for after the ceremony but this one he opened before because he knew it would be a problem. Not that Kash would ever send him something cruel, no she was as supportive of a sister as he could hope for, only that he would not be able to handle it. 

He was right. When he opened the heavy but small package, tears welled to his eyes. He felt like such an emotional wreck all day today. There was only one thing missing at his wedding, his parents. He... if he was honest he didn't want them here, mixing with his life that he had made for himself, loving him less because of the way he was. That's why even though he visited them once a week when he was in town, he never brought Jim with him. He didn't want to look over and see the disappointment in their eyes. And that was only if they loved him enough to show up, which was not at all guaranteed.

Kash had gifted him a clay oil lamp painted silver with a single silver coin. In Zoroastrian marriages for Divô they were gifted from the married couple's family, a sign of their participation and approval of the match. Freddie had never attended a proper Zoroastrian wedding, Kash's had mostly just been British with just a few nods to their history. 

But these, he knew the significance of these even with how detached he was from his parent's culture. Freddie hadn't lit it yet, he almost felt like he couldn't. He imagined lifting it, and the weight felt impossible in his hand. It was nothing, it should be nothing to him. He was a grown, successful, loved man, what need did he have of his parents or family's approval? But he wanted it all the same. And this- this was small but it meant the world to him. 

Freddie looked up from his vanity's desk to the looking glass, and to the Kunkun mark painted between his brow and under his flower crown. Similar to a bindi, it was made with bright red pigment, only rather than a circle, it was shaped like a teardrop. Part of him desperately wanted to rub it off, to mary Jim as he had met him, only as Freddie Mercury. Had he not killed the boy that had been Farrokh Bulsara? And like a phoenix remade himself this grand, untouchable man that did not need the culture that would hate and reject him. 

It could mean nothing, he told himself. He celebrated Christmas, as a capitalistic gift-giving extravaganza, because he didn't believe in anything regarding it. Just enjoyed the holiday, the cultural phenomenon on its own. This could be the same. But it wasn't.

Freddie looked around at this room, their bedroom, his and his husband to be's. He had bought this house, reunited the two halves that had once been sold of separately, and painstakingly decorated it to his heart's content. He might well be qualified to be an antique collector in his own right by now. It hadn't dulled his love of finding all the unique individual pieces that just fit a room right right, the challenge of tracking them down and having that rare piece of history and beauty. Not that he had any intention of stopping just because he'd filled this house to the brim. That's what the apartment in Montreux was for. 

But it hadn't just been him. Freddie looked where just inside the bedroom door stood the occasional table. Jim had made it painstakingly, struggling first terribly with the legs and then spending a month to do whatever had resulted in that stunning polished finish. It was covered in knick-knacks and photographs, family and friends so dear as to be family. Freddie knew exactly where he was going to put this gift.

But first, he opened the door to call down for two people to move it. Phoebe and Joe were busy with the actual wedding preparations themselves because even though it was a small ceremony with just the closest and most trustworthy of friends that wouldn't sell him out to the tabloids, the party was still grand. Brian and Roger were the ones to come up. Crystal, the roadie, and Bernie Taupin had both offered their services but the bandmates wanted to be with their dear friend before his special moment. 

They had been dying to be with him all this time but had held out at the polite request that they not go up until Freddie asked because he deserved his space and privacy. The table was a little heavy but with Anita's hand totally not giving a little bit of help, they were able to position it just where Freddie wanted. The window that perfectly overlooked the garden. 

Freddie thanked the boys even as he gave a wink to the lovely lady. She made a gesture with her head, offering to leave them alone. Freddie wasn't sure, he- He didn't know if he really wanted to talk about it. He tended to just always be a little private about his love life and for as much as he gushed with Jim, it didn't come naturally to him with his friends for all that they teased and laughed about their sexcapades. 

Anita left discreetly only for Deacy to pop in a few moments later. For all that Freddie hadn't divorced Mary, he had been unable to make it work as Roger and Brian had with their women, making John the only one of them to be able to figure it out. It could just be that he had the right lady of the four of them, but it was also very possible that he understood better compromise, communication, and functioning relationships. Which was why he was the one to coax out of Freddie what he wanted to say, to tell them. "What's with the table moving? Need it done before the wedding so you can enjoy your honeymoon aggressively?" 

They laughed easily at this. "I'm not the one with four children you prolific man," Freddie teased with that old inside joke of theirs from that silly interview. John giggled as he does, eye crinkling.

"We'll probably save that for the actual honeymooning in Japan." As they aren't getting legally married, it's not a real honeymoon either but it is in their heart, and in spirit, so that will have to be enough. Freddie looks away though, breaking eye contact as he doesn't dodge the real question, "There's a good view of the garden from this window so I'm putting my lantern here. It's- It's a gift from Kash... it's a thing- a Zoroastrian thing." Fred doesn't elaborate, he doesn't want to, and his friends know him well enough not to ask much like with the Kunkun.

"Seems considerate of her," Brian offers casually.

"I-Yeah," Freddie says, continuing to avoid eye contact as he clears the space nearest the window to situate it, the silver glinting in the sunlight. The lamp is large with thin sides and a deep pinch that flattens the mouth and makes it protrude outward. It's also the same kind of lamp in Aladdin's tale that was rubbed to summon the powerful jinnī. But Freddie can't think of anything he'd want to wish for at this moment, he has it all- well almost all, he and Jim first need to exchange vows but Freddie knows in his heart that he already has Jim. That's why it doesn't matter if this ceremony is legally binding. 

Freddie reaches for his lighter. But he doesn't smoke at home anymore just when out and anyway it's not in his wedding outfit's pockets. Right. Deacy offers his but then holds back sheepishly. But Freddie couldn't think of any engravement better, taking the zippo from his grip. It's not some cheesy quote 'happy at home' thing that makes Roger whine and bitch about them being rockstars because it was in fact a gift from Roger. 'Big dicks are like communism, only good in theory,' a hilarious joke because Ratty appropriately called Deacy 'the Member' for having a large one. 

"It is how we met after all," Freddie just says as he lights the oil. The boys all snicker, never tired of hearing that the first thing Freddie said to his future husband was asking him his cock size. Nothing could be more Freddie. 

With that taken care of, there is nothing to concern themselves with but the ceremony itself. They only have something short planned, no interest in a boring or lengthy sermon. It'll be all about the reception after for which Joe informs them that nothing crucial is missing or wrong, just a little more time for everything but nothing that can't wait until the guests are eating or dancing. 

Good, Freddie wouldn't want Joe or Phoebe to miss out because they were working on the wedding stuff. They aren't really here as staff for all that Freddie is making them work, he thought about hiring outside help but there's simply no one else he would trust with such a huge secret, they are here as his friends.

Making his way downstairs, Freddie waits at his cue for the music as the guests settle down. When all is ready Elton plays them a marriage march on the piano. Taking a bracing breath Freddie pushes open the doors on his side, as Jim leaves from the other doors to meet up outside. Rather than one single aisle that leads to the alter as a dead-end, the come from either side an audience bisected completely in two, facing the center. 

Jim is striking in all white, an appropriate color for a wedding even by British standards even if Persia did it for thousands of years before Queen Victoria. More striking than the color or his tailored suit is his radiant smile and the love that freely pours off of him. As Freddie has a flower crown upon his brow, Jim has a bouquet in his hands both crafted from his own hard work. They meet up there, standing in the center of their friends and their world in front of the officiant. 

"Frederick Mercury and James Shane Hutton have brought you here today as witnesses to their commitment. All that they are, they offer to each other, for marriage demands no less. They bring their dreams and accomplishments, as well as their fears and failures. They offer each other their virtues and vices, their fortunes and wants. Whatever time brings their way, they shall remain united. It is love that will make each step on this journey easier. Love sweetens shared dreams and comforts fear. Love sees the good and overlooks the bad. Love provides the strength and courage to endure. Love brings riches beyond even those the most poetic words could hope to describe."

Freddie reaches out to take a hold of Jim's hands, even though his love is holding the bouquet he still slips a few fingers free to cling back to him. Freddie doesn't know anything about what the language of love might spell out for him in the bouquet, nor does he know if Jim considered such a thing either because it doesn't matter. He is in no doubt of Jim's love for all that he still deeply enjoys hearing the words every day. He only even recognizes the obvious flowers like the sunflower, carnations, and the ivy. They are simple, untraditional flowers for a wedding, but they are from their garden, a labour of Jim's love and of course that is more than enough. 

The officiant continues, “Marriage is different than all other relationships. It makes people kin, it celebrates intimacy, and ties a life-long knot." The officiant smiles widely as she sighs out good-heartedly the next line, "Please join your hands as you pledge your vow of love and devotion, each to the other.”

The audience snickers because apparently the couple couldn't even wait to be asked to do so but still Freddie draws back his hand only to offer it more easily. Jim shifts the bouquet to one hand as to hold Freddie's more fully. The singer clasps his warm, calloused hand in both of his, lifting it to his mouth and pressing the driest of kisses, just a tickle of his whiskers, against the back.

“Frederick, do you take James to be your partner, your husband, to stand beside him always; share his burdens and rejoice in his successes; vow to love and cherish him, putting him always first, remaining true to him now, and forevermore?”

“Of fucking course I do,” Freddie answers readily to the laughter of those gathered. 

“And do you James, take Frederick to be your partner, your husband, to stand beside him always; share his burdens and rejoice in his successes; vow to love and cherish him, putting him always first, remaining true to him, now and forevermore?”

“I do,” Jim declares simply but proudly and strongly.

"Roger and Peter please come forward," the officiant invites. The drummer and personal assistant, but above all dearest friends, step forward. “You have chosen to stand beside Frederick and James, witnesses to their vows, to be the safekeepers of their rings. Do you vow to support and uphold their union to the best of your ability from this day forth?”

Some consider vow safekeepers old fashioned, like godparents but for fully grown capable adults, but that's not how they see them. The soon to be married couple see this as the support of their friends in a world that would so often and vehemently deny them. "I do so plead," Phoebe and Roger vow. 

"The rings," the officiant asks, palm upraised. Roger returns to Jim the golden band Jim had gifted his husband on his birthday. It was the first time Freddie had gone without since Jim confronted him about it. 

“Being one unbroken circle, your rings symbolize unending love. May these rings be your constant reminder of this moment when you pledged your unending love, each to the other. May they glow as a reflection of the warmth of your love as you begin this incredible lifelong journey. Wear them as a sign of the commitment you share.” She held her ring-filled palm skyward, then brought it back down. "Speak your vows, exchange rings, and be united."

Freddie's first vow isn't 'I don't know how I managed my head out of my arse long enough to make us work,' but it was a near thing. "I am so fortunate to have you in my life. It took us meeting, and meeting again, and while there was tribulation along the way we always found a way. And now that I've got you, that I've got it all, I promise to never, ever take it for granted. Thank you for loving me; for seeing something in me worth loving. I’m going to do everything I can to make you happy. I’m so damn grateful I’m going to get that chance.” Freddie’s voice cracked as he slid the ring fully onto Jim's finger. "I know I can be difficult so thank you so much for fighting, for staying, for loving me. I will do all I can to never let you down again." He leaned down to kiss Jim's hand again, this time just over the ring that shone in the afternoon sunlight. Blessed weather for once in Britain. "I love you with all that I am."

"Freddie Mercury," Jim starts, and while there are stars in his eyes it is not for the normal reason people that said his name like that did. "I could go on for days about us, our love because you never let me down, you always try, forgive and learn to let love into your heart although I know it doesn't come easily to you. You're everything I never knew I wanted, and even better than any dream or fantasy could ever be. Some days I still can't believe any of this is real but I turn and you're always there-" He looks up to the very window that Freddie coos at him every morning to inform him of his love. His breath catches slightly when he spots the flickering flame. He turns to see Freddie smiling at him, that he did this just for him. "I plan to spend the rest of my life loving you the way you deserve to be loved. This ring is my promise to you. I promise you everything I have to give, everything I’m capable of giving, our marriage will be a labour of love that I will work at every day because I love you. Always." 

Freddie really can't hold back the tears then as they come sliding down his face, they are matched by the one's Jim is shedding. In their eyes is a look of love that goes beyond any words could but is understood just the same. The officiant takes off her rainbow scarf and wraps their joined hands together. 

“You have expressed your love and commitment through the vows you have taken today and with the exchanging of rings. It now gives me great pleasure to pronounce you joined in this sacred union.” She moves her hand over where they are joined. “These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it, support and encouragement in times of joy and times of difficulty. These are the hands you will join, even in old age, finding the same tenderness in the other’s touch. May your life together be a source of inspiration to yourselves, your families, your friends, and to all whose lives you touch.”

"Frederick and James, may all present here know that from this day forward these two are declared wed. Please join me in congratulating the happy couple." 

They clap, cheer, and wolf-whistle aggressively, some even catcalling. Freddie and Jim can't help but to laugh freely at their joyful, enthusiastic friends. "I suggest you kiss to appease the crowd."

Jim and Freddie just laugh again at this having forgotten all about it but in no way reluctant to kiss which they do passionately to even more hooting and hollering. 

When Freddie draws back Jim can clearly see the love as his eyes shine with the tears. Jim could do nothing but smile in the face of such raw, loving emotion. The camera's bulb flash cuts through even through their closed lids. Jim suspects that very soon one of these pictures will end up with his other prized pictures on that table he made for Freddie in their bedroom, so it will always be the first thing they see when they wake up.

**Author's Note:**

> the wiki on Zoroastrian practices is... i don't want to say historical oppression against them but let's just say it's sparse so I did the best I could with extremely limited information
> 
> personally, I think John Rowell would be his best man or something, you know an actual friend of his not someone from Queen's circle, but I thought for the fandom it made more sense to be someone people know.


End file.
